Ibanez S1070PBZ-CLB Premium Cerulean Blue Burst

I ordered the Ibanez 1070PBZ-CLB at Kirstein, because many other dealers did not have it in their program. Incomprehensible, because this guitar is a fascinating instrument.
I own the "original model" of this guitar (540S from the late 80s, made in Japan), which I appreciate immensely for ergonomics, playability and sound. However, I wanted a more modern upgrade (modern pickups, better neck transition with no heel for the upper registers, nicer body wood).
I directly compared the 1070PBZ-CLB to the 540S, the Prestige (S6570Q-NBL, from Japan), and the "Jiva" (signature model of the S series by Nita Strauss, like the 1070PBZ-CLB from Indonesia).
The Jiva and the 1070PBZ-CLB (both premium line) are both well made in terms of wood and hardware, the Jiva almost a touch better. What bothered me a bit was that the 1070PBZ-CLB had a few wooden tails sticking out between the neck and the body, and the holes for the neck mounting screws are a bit sloppily painted. From the mechanical workmanship I was immediately impressed by the Jiva, it is wonderfully light (although it was not clear whether my model was still made of mahogany or already made of Nyatoh, there was probably a change here in 2019). On the 1070PBZ-CLB, the top is also gorgeous, the guitar is a tad heavier.
The S6570Q-NBL (Prestige line) is perfectly finished in comparison, everything is really right here. The satin maple neck feels silky smooth like natural wood, whereas the 11-piece neck of the 1070PBZ-CLB feels a bit "plastic-like", somehow the wood is clearly treated. The body of the Prestige is a bit slimmer than the Jiva and the 1070PBZ-CLB.
In terms of playability (if you have optimized the settings) the guitars do not really give each other anything. It's all upper class, no significant difference between Japan or Indonesia here. I'd almost say Indonesia is at least on par with Japan in the 90s, and even today the difference is only noticeable in minimal detail. All guitars are very easy to play, as typical for the S series. String action, neck setting, intonation can be adjusted almost perfectly.
But now enough about wood and mechanics, the guitars plugged into the amplifier (Line 6 / Bogner; HK Grandmeister, Marshall JCM800 and EVH).
This is where the "Jiva" felt quite out of place for my taste. The Pandemonium humbuckers developed by Nita Strauss did not convince me. May they be good in some applications; I found them strangely flat and lacking in expression, even compared to my old 540S, despite relatively high output. The pickups on all the other guitars delivered much more lively sound.
The 540S naturally has less output , but the pickups (IBZ-USA, combination H-S-S) sound very lively overall. The clear strengths are with the single coils, which don't sound 100% like a Strat, but deliver a distinct SC sound. The humbucker is really good for rock to metal, but overall the guitar lacks a bit of punch compared to a Les Paul or even the 1070PBZ-CLB.
This is where the 1070PBZ-CLB scores points compared to all the others: The pickups deliver significantly more bass and punch than the 540S or Prestige, even though the Prestige and Premium have the same DiMarzios installed. Maybe it's because they're bolted directly to the body on the Premium, while they hang adjustably in a metal bracket on the Prestige. If you want a real rock guitar, I'd actually prefer the 1070PBZ-CLB over the Prestige!
As for single-coil (SC) sounds, the 1070PBZ-CLB delivers quite serviceable here, so you can get away with a cover band. But you shouldn't expect this to have anything to do with Strat sound. It's something of its own, good, but not Strat. Like the Prestige, the Premium has a 5-way switch: 1: bridge humbucker; 2: bridge + mid SC; 3: mid SC, 4: neck + mid SC, 5: neck humbucker. Combinations 2 and 4 don't hum at all, and even the SC alone (3) only hums minimally. The same goes for the Prestige, by the way. There the 540S is different, here there is real SC, but also with hum).
With the humbuckers, the 1070PBZ-CLB delivers classic Ibanez heavy sounds at the bridge, which sound very lively and respond differentiated - I liked that much better than with the Jiva. At the neck, cool rhythm sound up to Santana-like solo sound is announced. Here the guitar can almost keep up with a les Paul (I compared it directly), which the Prestige does not necessarily manage.
If one switches the middle SC in addition, then interesting combinations result.
Compared to the 540S, the 1070PBZ-CLB sounds much fuller on the humbuckers, but it can't really keep up with the SC sounds.
The same is true in comparison with the Prestige. This sounds overall a tad more "noble". With the humbucker sounds I would almost say they are a bit "flatter" than with the Premium (1070PBZ-CLB). Overall, however, the Prestige sounds a bit more delicate and resolves better, both with the humbuckers, but especially with the SC sounds.
Now here it comes down to preference: If you want crystal clear SC sound and filigree humbucker sounds, it makes sense to spend a little more money on the Prestige. If the priority is official rock, the 1070PBZ-CLB (Premium) is the better choice, it brings more pressure than the Prestige. Acceptable SC sounds are also possible with the Premium.
The price difference between the Premium and Prestige in the S-Series is not that big: The Premium is around 1.300-, but only a gig bag is included, which doesn't do justice to this guitar (worth about 35,- €). The Prestige is around 2.150,- including a high quality case, which has to be calculated in between 160,- and 200,-. So the actual price difference is around 700,-. Here I would say that the Prestige is not really 50% "better" (which would be the price difference), but that it is more a matter of personal preference.
Anyway, I'm sticking with the 1070PBZ-CLB and it will be my 1st choice for gigs with my cover rock band. I also kept the Prestige, but it's almost too bad for "on the road" use for me. The Jiva, on the other hand, went back, because it was visually and workmanship enthusiastic, but rather disappointing sound.